Hope begins surging through me, battling back the discomfort of having to ask for help. There are people here willing to help me, kind people, who seem to always look to do the right thing. This is a place worth sticking around for, a place worth saving.
“Oh, it definitely will. Trust me, I’ve been there.” Emotion shines in his eyes.
“What do you mean?”
Evander looks up at the sky before settling his attention back on me. “I wasn’t always the man you see before you. I was born here to two warriors from very different times and cultures. It wasn’t a love match, but a coupling born from fleeting desire.” He shifts uncomfortably on his feet. “Needlessto say, my childhood wasn’t a happy one, and I never quite felt like I belonged anywhere.”
My eyes burn from the story he’s struggling to tell and the image of a small child with bright copper hair suffering from the loneliness that I’m very familiar with.
“As peaceful as this place seems now, it wasn’t always, and there was a lot of bullying towards kids who didn’t have friends. I was one of those kids. But when I was growing up, the royal guards were a brotherhood. A place where people of all cultures and periods could be chosen. I wanted that more than anything and started training as fiercely as I could, but it wasn’t enough. Until Mathilda and Mina took me under their wings—pun intended—when they saw me struggling through the selection process five years in a row. They helped me achieve my dreams. They took a nobody kid off the streets and built me up into the person I am today.”
Pride and gratitude surge across his face when he speaks of his friends, who were there for him. His story strikes a chord within me. His friendship with them reminds me a great deal of mine with Lachlan.
I grin at him. “Into the great person you are today.”
Evander’s eyes flash to mine, gratitude shining warmly in the hazel pools as he smiles broadly at me. He bumps his shoulder against mine as we walk back to the Great Hall. “You’re going out with us tonight, right?”
“Yeah, Mathilda invited me. I hope that’s ok?” My eyes are on the winding path in front of us so that I don’t miss a step. My body is sore and sluggish from lying on the ground most of the day.
“Of course it is! We’ll have a good time.” He smiles.
The setting sun, brandishing the sky a deep burnt red, mimics the strands of his hair.
Silence settles between us, and I have the urge to fill it.
“I thought you were the captain of the guard?”
Evander’s eyes stay on the path. “What made you think that?”
My brow furrows. “You said you didn’t want to have to call the captain if I was dead back there, and I thought that you were the captain because I’ve only ever seen you with Odessa, and you were our guard for the parade,” I say slowly, thinking it through as I speak.
Evander chuckles. “I see why you would think that. I was just the replacement while the actual captain was away. It’s not my usual position.” His shoulders slump marginally, and I get the feeling he wants that role.
I bump my shoulder against his. “I think you would make a great captain.”
Evander’s smile is as bright as the setting sun.
13
MATHILDA
Mathilda has taken over my room, covering my bed with piles of dresses. A row of shoes lines the wall by my bed, and she’s sitting cross-legged on the floor, still in her leathers, eating a bowl of fruit.
“It’s about time! I thought you’d be here sooner.” She grins up at me, berries coating her teeth red.
“Julius introduced shields and swords today,” I grumble.
“Ahh, I take it that it did not go well?” She scans my body for injuries.
“No, it did not. I swear he was really trying to hurt me.” I throw it out there, trying to gauge her response.
She talks around a mouthful of fruit. “Nah, he’s an ass, but he knows Odessa would have his ass if he did seriously hurt you. But I’m sorry we weren’t there today. They changed the schedule.”
Lifting a green dress with cutout sides, I ask Mathilda, “Would your offer to train me still be available?”
She swallows her mouthful, eyes bright with excitement. “Uh, yes! I would love to help!”
The anxiety I suffer from when asking for help, especially from strangers, dissipates. But she’s not really a stranger anymore; she’s a friend. My emotional range is quite large today, from hopelessness and acceptance to happiness. It reminds me of my days with Lachlan. He was always there to lift me up on Gran’s hard days.
